Hamish Falconer, the UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, defended Pakistan\u2019s military strikes across the Afghan border during a meeting with Pakistan\u2019s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Muhammad Ishaq Dar. At the same time, he called for continued dialogue between Islamabad and Kabul to reduce tensions and strengthen regional stability.<\/p>\n
According to Dawn News, Falconer stated that no one desires civilian casualties anywhere, but Pakistan\u2019s security challenges are not confined to its borders and have broader regional consequences. He explained that threats emanating from Afghanistan could extend beyond borders, impacting the security of neighboring countries and even more distant regions.<\/p>\n
These remarks come amid Pakistan\u2019s cross-border attacks on certain areas inside Afghanistan, which have previously sparked criticism. Critics argue that the Taliban administration\u2019s inability to control armed groups and effectively govern all parts of the country has created conditions for such interventions\u2014a situation that raises serious questions about national sovereignty and the security of local residents.<\/p>\n
Falconer emphasized that these shared security threats highlight the necessity for cooperation among all stakeholders to find sustainable solutions. He described Afghanistan as a pivotal country for regional peace and security and said that diplomatic engagement between Islamabad and Kabul is the “most effective way forward” to address security concerns.<\/p>\n
The UK official also acknowledged Pakistan\u2019s dissatisfaction with the current level of coordination with Afghanistan, adding that a mutual understanding must be established to prevent the use of either country\u2019s territory to harm the other.<\/p>\n
During another part of the meeting, the two sides discussed regional and international issues, including a ceasefire involving Iran, efforts to stabilize the Strait of Hormuz, and the importance of safeguarding global trade routes. Falconer did not provide further details on these topics.<\/p>\n
He described Pakistan-UK relations as “deep and enduring,” noting that these ties are based not only on official diplomacy but also on widespread people-to-people connections. He said his visit to Islamabad contributed to strengthening cooperation and deepening mutual understanding between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Falconer also touched on the situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, emphasizing adherence to international legal standards. He described the issue as complex and said its management requires joint cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UK official stresses diplomatic engagement between Islamabad and Kabul is crucial for Pakistan’s security and regional stability amid cross-border tensions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-important-news","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}